© 2020 The Society for Applied Microbiology.Populations delineated based on genetic data are commonly used for wildlife conservation and management. Many studies use the program structure combined with the ΔK method to identify the most probable number of populations (K). We recently found K = 2 was identified more often when studies used ΔK compared to studies that did not. We suggested two reasons for this hierarchical population structure leads to underestimation, or the ΔK method does not evaluate K = 1 causing an overestimation. The present contribution aims to develop a better understanding of the limits of the method using one, two and three population simulations across migration scenarios. From these simulations we identified the "best K" using model likelihood and ΔK. Our findings show that mean probability plots and ΔK are unable to resolve the correct number of populations once migration rate exceeds 0.005. We also found a strong bias towards selecting K = 2 using the ΔK method. We used these data to identify the range of values where the ΔK statistic identifies a value of K that is not well supported. Finally, using the simulations and a review of empirical data, we found that the magnitude of ΔK corresponds to the level of divergence between populations. Based on our findings, we suggest researchers should use the ΔK method cautiously; they need to report all relevant data, including the magnitude of ΔK, and an estimate of connectivity for the research community to assess whether meaningful genetic structure exists within the context of management and conservation. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.The aim of this scoping review was a) to update a previous review on the main methodological characteristics and shortcomings in the plyometric jump training (PJT) literature, and b) to recommend, in light of the identified methodological gaps, future research perspectives. We searched four electronic databases. From 6128 potentially relevant articles, 420 were considered eligible for inclusion. As an update of a previous review, this represents an increase of ~200 articles, illustrating that this field of research is growing fast. However, the relative "quality" or shortcomings were similar when compared to the preceding scoping review. In the current article, the main identified shortcomings were an insufficient number of studies conducted with females, individual sports, and high-level athletes (~22%, ~7%, and ~14% of overall studies, respectively); insufficient description of training prescription (~54% of studies); and studies missing an active/passive control group and a randomized group allocation process (~37% and ~24% of overall studies, respectively). Furthermore, PJT was often combined with other training methods and added to the participants' regular training routines (~50% and ~35% of overall studies, respectively). The main outcomes of this scoping review urge researchers to conduct PJT studies of high methodological quality (eg, randomized controlled trials) to get trustworthy evidence-based knowledge. In addition, owing to the limited research conducted with females, individual sports, and high-level athletes, more studies are needed to substantiate the available findings. Finally, the identification of cohort-specific PJT dose-response relations which elicit optimal training effects still needs to be identified, particularly in the long term. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Most species and therefore most hybrid zones have historically been defined using phenotypic characters. However, both speciation and hybridization can occur with negligible morphological differentiation. Recently developed genomic tools provide the means to better understand cryptic speciation and hybridization. The Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) and American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) are continuously distributed sister taxa that lack reliable traditional characters for identification. In this first population genomic study of Northwestern and American crows, we use genomic SNPs (nuDNA) and mtDNA to investigate the degree of genetic differentiation between these crows and the extent to which they may hybridize. Our results indicate that American and Northwestern crows have distinct evolutionary histories, supported by two nuDNA ancestry clusters and two 1.1%-divergent mtDNA clades dating to the late Pleistocene, when glacial advances may have isolated crow populations in separate refugia. We document extensive hybridization, with geographic overlap of mtDNA clades and admixture of nuDNA across >900 km of western Washington and western British Columbia. This broad hybrid zone consists of late-generation hybrids and backcrosses, but not recent (e.g., F1) hybrids. Nuclear DNA and mtDNA clines had concordant widths and were both centred in southwestern British Columbia, farther north than previously postulated. Overall, our results suggest a history of reticulate evolution in American and Northwestern crows, perhaps due to recurring neutral expansion(s) from Pleistocene glacial refugia followed by lineage fusion(s). However, we do not rule out a contributing role for more recent potential drivers of hybridization, such as expansion into human-modified habitats. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Elaborate regulatory feedback processes are thought to make biological development robust, that is, resistant to changes induced by genetic or environmental perturbations. How this might be done is still not completely understood. Previous numerical simulations on reaction-diffusion models of Dpp gradients in Drosophila wing imaginal disc have showed that feedback (of the Hill function type) on (signaling) receptors and/or non-(signaling) receptors are of limited effectiveness in promoting robustness. Spatial nonuniformity of the feedback processes has also been shown theoretically to lead to serious shape distortion and a principal cause for ineffectiveness. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/salinomycin.html Through mathematical modeling and analysis, the present article shows that spatially uniform nonlocal feedback mechanisms typically modify gradient shape through a shape parameter (that does not change with location). This in turn enables us to uncover new multi-feedback instrument for effective promotion of robust signaling gradients. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.